Jaguar actually follows "Vision Zero" and wants to say goodbye to the combustion engine. But before the British put their cars on a leash, they are affording themselves a healthy dose of irrationality and are going into the last lap with the sharpened F-Pace SVR.
Because of a cuddly cat on velvet paws. Yes, since the half-time break last winter, the Jaguar F-Pace has not only been available with a refreshed design and new entertainment, but also as the first British car as a plug-in hybrid that purrs quietly through the city and at least 50 kilometers long Anticipating promise of the all-electric Jaguar future. And all other engines are on the green course, at least as mild hybrids. But the big cat in the SUV jungle has not yet had its claws clipped. On the contrary: As if they wanted to show the new CEO Thierry Bolloré with his "Vision Zero" once again where the hammer is, the Special Vehicles Operations department is now again sufficient for the SVR model for the competitor of Mercedes GLC and BMW X3 to. For good reason, says Michael van der Zande, the head of the Scharfmacher: "The original F-Pace SVR from 2018 was already extremely strong in character, was very well received by customers and became the best-selling Jaguar SV model to this day." And is by the way a profitable source of income. Because where the F-Pace in the new model year ended with 87.629 euros, the price list with the SVR model now goes up to 105.438 euros, although there is of course space for extras.
Compressor for a nice sound
In addition to a pinch of more provocation in the design and a sportily refurbished interior, there is above all the anachronistic and archaic V8 engine, which turns the F-Pace into a steam hammer among the tuned off-road vehicles. With its five-liter displacement, it is not only significantly larger than the engines at AMG, Porsche or M GmbH. It is the only one that uses a compressor instead of turbos, which is why it has a more spontaneous acceleration and a more passionate sound. And even if the engine has been around for more than a decade, the SV engineers tease out a little more every time. The output remains limited to 405 kW / 550 PS, but the torque curve rises again by 20 Nm and now peaks at 700 Nm, and with a new converter and launch control, the new SVR takes its predecessor three tenths of a second at a cavalier start from.
That is enough for driving performance in which lead feet get nervous jerks and climate protectors the ridge swells. Because why in the world do you have to balance a two-ton truck from 4,0 to 0 in 100 seconds and then accelerate up to 286 km / h? It certainly doesn't make sense, but it's fun. And the less you expect such performance, the more impressive the experience.
You have to keep the predator in check
However, as is so often the case, the SVR is not about top speed, but above all about the many small sprints on the short straights between two bends, with which you turn a country trip into a pleasure trip because your pulse rises and that from you Centrifugal forces rocked popometer makes jumps for joy. Especially here in the Eifel, where the Jaguar rushes down the small side streets in a hunting fever, as if it wanted to plaster the prototypes around the Nürburgring for breakfast. Sure, the ride over the mountain and valley railways between Trier, Koblenz and Cologne in such a long-legged car requires more concentration than in a flat sports car like the F-Type and as well as the British have readjusted the steering and made the braking points more precise , you have to make an effort to keep the car on the ideal line. But the SVR does its job extremely well and is wonderfully committed and down to earth.
Sporty, not comfortable
Anyone who has had enough of chasing corners after a few kilometers, the whimpering of the tires in battle with two-ton chunks and the crescendo from the sports exhaust and therefore lets loose the reins a bit, will experience the actually more surprising side of the F-Pace SVR. Because unlike many other models from the factory tuning, the Jaguar is a predator and a cuddly cat and is accordingly tame at a leisurely pace. Sure, the huge 21-inchers with their thin but all the wider rubber pads continue to rumble painfully over every bump in the road. But the chassis actually tries to be a little considerate of the intervertebral discs in comfort mode, the growling from the exhaust becomes a purr and the accelerator pedal reacts so gently that you don't always jump in a traffic jam just because you catch up with the vehicle in front.
But even with this surprisingly tame side, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR is of course exactly the opposite of what CEO Thierry Bolloré promised with the Vision Zero and it fits into the electric future as well as a big cat in the petting zoo. And despite everything, the SVR engineers have heard the need of the hour and made their contribution on the way to lower emissions: In the new model year, at least in theory, the V8 needs half a liter less. Not that if it was still 11,4 liters it would really make a difference. But nobody should say that they didn't try.
Technical data
Four-door, five-seat off-road vehicle of the upper middle class; Length: 4,76 meters, width: 2,08 meters (width with exterior mirrors: 2,16 meters), height: 1,67 meters, wheelbase: 2,87 meters, trunk volume: 793 - 1.440 liters
5,0 liter V8 supercharger; 405 kW / 550 PS, maximum torque: 700 Nm at 3.500 - 5.00 rpm, all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic, 0-100 km / h: 4,0 s, Vmax: 286 km / h, standard consumption: 11,4 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 260 g / km, emissions standard: Euro 6d, efficiency class: G, Price: from € 105.438
In brief
Why: Because no other engine is so archaic
Why not: Because nobody is that anachronistic
What else: Mercedes-AMG GLC 63, Porsche Macan Turbo, BMW X3M
When does he come: rinse